Man pleads guilty to 2010 shooting death

Jamel Terry, 28, of York Street in Jacksonville, is escorted into the courtroom Thursday morning.

Tabitha Clark/The Daily News

By TABITHA CLARK - Daily News Staff

Published: Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 10:24 AM.

Updated at 4:21 p.m.

A Jacksonville man is facing a minimum of 18 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to second-degree murder.

Jamel Terry, 28, of York Street in Jacksonville, was charged with second-degree murder for the Dec. 23, 2010, shooting death of Brandon Denby, 30, a minor league football player with the Jacksonville Spartans.

Jacksonville Police found Denby’s body in the home at 224 York St. when they arrived at around 9 that night to investigate reports of a shooting. Terry had already fled, according to Assistant District Attorney Michael Maultsby.

He said that the shooting had escalated from an argument between the two friends. According to witness statements, at some point during the argument Denby pushed Terry. When Denby tried to leave the residence, Terry shot him.

Terry fled North Carolina with his girlfriend and went to Newark, N.J., where he was taken into custody by Newark Police following a February shootout, Maultsby said in court. He was returned to Onslow County authorities in May through a governors’ agreement, as opposed to extradition. Maultsby said, as part of the agreement, if Terry was exonerated in the Jacksonville murder charge, he would return to New Jersey to serve his time for assault against a police officer. If he was sentenced in North Carolina, he would serve his sentence here.

“There was a lot of bad decision making the night this happened,” defense attorney Edwin West said in court.

A Jacksonville man is facing a minimum of 18 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to second-degree murder.

Jamel Terry, 28, of York Street in Jacksonville, was charged with second-degree murder for the Dec. 23, 2010, shooting death of Brandon Denby, 30, a minor league football player with the Jacksonville Spartans.

Jacksonville Police found Denby’s body in the home at 224 York St. when they arrived at around 9 that night to investigate reports of a shooting. Terry had already fled, according to Assistant District Attorney Michael Maultsby.

He said that the shooting had escalated from an argument between the two friends. According to witness statements, at some point during the argument Denby pushed Terry. When Denby tried to leave the residence, Terry shot him.

Terry fled North Carolina with his girlfriend and went to Newark, N.J., where he was taken into custody by Newark Police following a February shootout, Maultsby said in court. He was returned to Onslow County authorities in May through a governors’ agreement, as opposed to extradition. Maultsby said, as part of the agreement, if Terry was exonerated in the Jacksonville murder charge, he would return to New Jersey to serve his time for assault against a police officer. If he was sentenced in North Carolina, he would serve his sentence here.

“There was a lot of bad decision making the night this happened,” defense attorney Edwin West said in court.

West said that Terry did not flee the scene that night because he was trying to avoid prosecution, he fled because he was scared and upset.

“He knew that he was going to have to come back and deal with this,” West said on behalf of Terry.

West asked the court to also take into account Terry’s substantial mental health history, which he said includes severe depression, possible bi-polar disorder and anger management issues.

“The man that I’ve spent time with is very sad,” West said. “He is sorry for what has happened, and he regrets what happened.”

Members of Denby’s family were present in the courtroom during the plea and asked to speak on behalf of Denby.

“He was one of the first people in our family to serve his country and get his high school diploma,” Mike Denby, the victim’s uncle, said. “Brandon has three children (ages 10, 5 and 3). His mother passed away from brain cancer one month after Brandon.”

Mike Denby said he saw a propensity for violence in Terry’s history.

“There are things you cannot be forgiven for,” he told the court. “Taking a life is one of them.”

Denby’s uncle made a promise to show up to each of Terry’s parole hearings to make sure his nephew is represented.

“I want him to understand the devastation that he has caused this family,” Mike Denby said.

Brandon Denby’s aunt, Dixie Taylor, cried as she addressed the court.

“I have to forgive (Terry) for what he did, so I can move on,” Taylor said. “He will have to go the rest of his life remembering what he did.”

She said that Brandon Denby was a good person and well-loved. As she choked up, she told the court that Terry could have walked away from the argument on Dec. 23, 2010, instead of killing a man.

“May God have mercy on his soul,” she said.

Superior Court Judge Charles H. Henry sentenced Terry to between 18 years, 9 months, and 23 years, 3 months, in the North Carolina Department of Corrections custody. Henry recommended Terry also have substance abuse counseling and psychiatric counseling while incarcerated.

Contact Daily News Reporter Tabitha Clark at 910-219-8454 or Tabitha.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TabithaLClark or friend her on Facebook.

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A Jacksonville man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder this morning and was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison.

Jamel Terry, 28, of York Street in Jacksonville, was charged with murder stemming from the Dec. 23, 2010 shooting death of Brandon Denby, 30.

Terry was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years, 9 months and a maximum of 23 years, three months in prison.

Denby was a minor league football player with the Jacksonville Spartans.

Officials said that Denby and Terry had an argument before the shooting.

Following the shooting at Terry's residence, he fled the scene. He was later arrested in Newark, New Jersey, in February 2011 after a shootout with Newark Police.